A beautiful flower of the cineraria is an excellent find for any person who wants to purchase a new culture with good decorative qualities for planting a private plot or apartment. There are many interesting species of this plant that can grow, both in containers and in the open ground.
Cineraria - planting and care
This plant is grown in the form of semi-shrubs or herbaceous flowers, which differ greatly in the coloring of the petals and the shape of the leaves. In addition to flowering forms, there are decorative deciduous species with an elegant silvery crown. For the house the indoor flower of the cineraria with a height of 30 cm is removed, and in the open ground it is possible to plant shrubs up to 90 cm in size with powerful rod roots. The leaves of the plant are covered with soft villi with a bluish tinge. In summer, the cineraria throws out beautiful baskets-inflorescences with terry and simple flowers.
Popular in Europe species of cineraria:
- Cineraria bloody (hybrid, red) - height up to 70-90 cm, great for indoor growing, has bright openwork decorative foliage and buds with petals of a variety of colors. Common varieties of the flower of the cineraria are bloody - Double, Sympathy, Grandiflora, Stellata.
- Cineraria is elegant - grows in the form of a globular shrub 20-60 cm high, depending on the variety. The varietal group Ligulosus flowers are terry, and the popular varietal dwarf group Nanus is famous for its bright, gently pink petals with a burgundy core.
- Cineraria silvery (seaside) - in southern regions it is grown in the form of perennial, in a temperate climate - as an annual culture. This species is famous not for flowers that are removed before blossoming, but unusually decorative ash-silvery foliage.
Cineraria - growing from seeds
The main error of many gardeners is an attempt to breed this culture in a straightforward way, without taking into account the varietal belonging. Successful experiments in sowing in the soil are obtained with a cineraria elegant, being the most unpretentious to the growing conditions. The remaining species have a long period of vegetation and give an extremely gentle shoot that dies at a young age under any weather whims.
Variety features of cultivation of seeds of cineraria:
- The flower of the cineraria is seabed - it is necessary to sow on the seedlings in March, landing on the bed is made in the last decade of May.
- The flower of the cineraria is bloody - it is necessary to sow it in December, so that by the end of spring you will get normal seedlings.
- Cineraria is exquisite - the seeds are sown in April, the transplantation to the ground is carried out in the second decade of May with the onset of stable heat.
Cineraria - sowing seeds for seedlings
In the question of how to plant cineraria on seedlings, it is important to take into account the small size of the seeds. They can not be deeply embedded in the soil, the material is decomposed on the surface of the moistened soil and slightly tamped with hands. It is possible to penetrate the seeds into the soil with the help of damp toothpicks at 0.3-0.5 cm. Next, cover the container with a package or a sheet of glass and put it in a warm place (+ 18-20 ° C). If the material is of good quality and has good germination, the sprouts of the flower of the cineraria massively break out of the earth after two weeks.
Picks of cineraria
An important stage in the cultivation of cineraria is the sprouting of seedlings . This work is done carefully after the appearance of the second leaflet. It is necessary to transfer sprouts with a clod of earth to minimize damage to tender roots. It is advisable, after picking, to take out the seedlings in a cool room, lowering the temperature of the medium to 15-18 ° C. In hot weather, green sprouts and thin foliage begin to wither, so for cineraria it is desirable to keep in a cool place where fresh air is constantly flowing.
Cineraria - home care
Specific rules for keeping cineraria in the pot, caring for seedlings and adult plants in the open ground have been developed. It is noticed that a good laying of buds occurs at a temperature of up to 12 ° C. In the noon time, sunburn can form on the leaves, so it is desirable to grow the plant in diffuse light. Medium-sized pots are used for room forms. The soil is prepared from a mixture of peat, leaf land and completely rotted compost .
Features of care for the flower cineraria:
- When maintaining the flower in the room, you need to humidify the air with appliances or use open containers with water.
- The plant does not like fresh organic materials, the soil on the flower beds is prepared from autumn.
- In the spring, nitrogen fertilizing or mullein is introduced, and on the eve of flowering, phosphorus fertilizers are introduced.
- Fading inflorescences are cut to the first leaf.
- It is possible to shorten the long elongated shoots on the bushes.
- In the open, use mulch to protect against drought.
- In the autumn, the cineraria is removed or excavated, transplanted into a pot, contain such shrubs in winter at temperatures up to 15 ° C.
- In the South, cineraria can be grown as perennial, covering flowers from frost with lapnik or other material.
Cineraria - transplant after purchase
The task, when transplanting cineraria, grown from seedlings, must be solved in late spring. For room forms use soil from sand, leaf and turf ground, mixed in equal proportion. In stores, adult bushes are realized in individual pots with a diameter of 10 cm with a large number of unblown buds. These flowers do not need an additional transplant. When transplanting into a flower bed, the holes are located at a distance of up to 25 cm. The land is watered, a little bit rammed and covered with mulch material.
Cineraria - watering
An important question when growing cineraria in pots: "How to water capricious plants?" Water should be used in a rest and warm. We try not to wet the fleecy leaves, so the liquid pours under the root. In the heat, watering can be done even twice a day, but do not allow water to stagnate. To improve air exchange, periodically we loosen the ground. A primer from above should be sprinkled with a thin layer of expanded clay, which helps to avoid drying the soil.
Diseases of cineraria
The problem, why cineraria wilt leaves, can arise because of several reasons. A common disease of this flower is powdery mildew . It provokes its occurrence of improper irrigation, which leads to an overabundance in the soil moisture. Infected cineraria should be removed from the flowerbed. Leaves in the room pot can wilt when kept in a hot room with dry air. If the flowers are affected by a spider mites or aphids, then the plants need treatment with insecticides.